Self-rule Index for Local Authorities (Release 1.0)

Local autonomy is a highly valued feature of good governance. The continuous attempts of many European countries to strengthen the autonomy of local government show the importance given to decentralisation and far-reaching competences at the lowest units of a state. Measuring and comparing local autonomy, however, has proven to be a difficult task. Not only are there diverging ideas about the core elements of local autonomy, there are also considerable difficulties to apply specific concepts to different countries. This project suggests a comprehensive methodology to measure local autonomy. It analyses 39 European countries and reports changes between 1990 and 2014. A network of experts on local government assessed the autonomy of local government of their respective countries on the basis of a common code book. The eleven variables measured are located on seven imensions and can be combined to a "Local Autonomy Index" (LAI). The data show an increase of local autonomy between 1990 and 2005, especially in the new Central and Eastern European countries. Countries with a particularly high degree of local autonomy are Switzerland, the Nordic countries, Germany and Poland

Policy učenje u lokalnoj samoupravi: uloga refleksivnog vodstva

The paper addresses three interrelated issues in policy learning, based on survey data from a representative sample of all Norwegian councillors. The authors ask: What characterizes the policy learning behaviour of local councillors? This issue is addressed through data on what councillors find to be useful information sources in their capacities as decision-makers and agenda-setters. The paper documents three policy-learning profiles: cosmopolitans (who draw largely on external sources of information), locals (who draw on internal sources), and party loyalists (who draw on party sources). The authors also ask if policy learning profiles make a difference to councillors as decision-makers and agenda-setters. The paper documents that cosmopolitans are the most active agenda setters. Do new patterns of policy learning indicate the emergence of a new type of leadership in local government? It is argued that political interest in publicly available information that contextualizes the municipality’s current performance is part of a larger syndrome that we term ‘reflexive leadership’.U radu se istražuju tri međusobno povezana pitanja policy učenja, na temelju podataka prikupljenih anketnim istraživanjem na reprezentativnom uzorku lokalnih vijećnika u Norveškoj. Pitanje je bilo što obilježava policy učenje lokalnih vijećnika. Do odgovora se pokušalo doći preko podataka o tome što vijećnici smatraju korisnim izvorima podataka u njihovom poslu donošenja odluka i utvrđivanja političkog dnevnog reda (agenda-setting). Nađena su tri profila vijećnika s gledišta policy učenja: kozmopoliti (koji se u velikoj mjeri oslanjaju na vanjske izvore informacija), lokalci (koji se oslanjaju na unutarnje izvore) te stranački poslušnici (koji se oslanjaju na izvore političke stranke). Istraženo je i utječu li ta tri profila vijećnika na odlučivanje i postavljanje političkog dnevnog reda. Utvrđeno je da su kozmopoliti najaktivniji postavljači dnevnog reda (najviše utječu na to koja će pitanja doći na dnevni red političkog odlučivanja). Postavilo se i pitanje ukazuje li nova struktura policy učenja na pojavu novog tipa vodstva u lokalnoj samoupravi. Autori smatraju da je politički interes u javno dostupnim informacijama koje se bave uspješnošću lokalnih jedinica dio šireg sindroma koji se može nazvati refleksivnim vodstvom

«Fjernledelse» eller «Fjern ledelse» av unge medarbeidere? : En kvalitativ studie om hvordan fremme motivasjon blant unge medarbeidere under kontorbasert fjernledelse

Master in Business Administration (MBA) - Nord universitet 202

Professional autonomy or political loyalty? How Norwegian Chief Municipality Officers handles the balance between profession and politics

publishedVersio

Scandinavian Higher Education Governance – Pursuing Similar Goals through Different Organizational Arrangements

Under embargo until: 2022-02-03The differences and similarities among the three Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have been discussed by social scientists on several occasions. Focusing on higher education (HE) governance systems, this paper raises three questions. (1) What are the differences and similarities among the three countries? (2) How can the similarities and differences be explained? (3) Are the similarities strong enough to justify the common label of a Scandinavian model of HE governance? The three HE governance systems are briefly described and compared. They are then analyzed as, respectively, outcomes of partisan politics or politico-administrative regimes. The paper argues that similarities such as publicness, massive investments, and emphasis on access are best explained in terms of partisan politics, while the variation in governance arrangements can best be explained by path dependencies following choices made at critical junctures within similar politicoadministrative regimes.acceptedVersio

Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Mapping State Structures – With an Application to Western Europe, 1950—2015

This paper addresses long-standing challenges in conceptualizing and measuring state structures. It first outlines a novel conceptualization of the unitary/federal distinction and its relation to de/centralization and a/symmetry, from which it derives static and dynamic typologies. It subsequently develops a scheme for measuring de/centralization that is able to capture the conceptual distinction between unitary and federal states. The scheme is then applied to map state structures in Western Europe from 1950—2015. This mapping exercise shows that some states constitutionally defined as federal are best classified as unitary from a political science perspective and others, constitutionally defined as unitary, should be considered de facto federal. By developing a more effective classification of cases for comparative analysis, the paper offers a tool on which theoretical and empirical advances in understanding the causes and effects of state structures can be built

Demokrati og lokalpolitikk

Tilgjengeliggjort med tillatelse fra Dreyer Forlag